The Morning After
by Manake
Summary: Fionna's mind races in the early hours of the morning. The thoughts preoccupying the adventuress' brain are mostly about a certain Vampire King, and what she really thinks of him. (A FioLee oneshot. The events take place the morning after "Bad Little Boy.")


**Howdy, readers! :D Behold my first FioLee fanfic! I like delving into my other fandoms a bit-it adds some variety to my page. :) So with that, please enjoy, and don't forget to favorite/review! ^^**

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Fionna marched home after what seemed like one of the longest nights she had ever experienced. She mumbled and cursed to herself almost the whole way, mostly at Marshall Lee, that jerk. She was still furious with him for taking Cake away at the party, and then faking near death in the graveyard not too long ago. Though she admitted it felt good socking him in the face. Once most of the anger was out of her system, Fionna took a deep breath to calm herself.

Cake had been walking beside her the whole way, and had heard her adopted sister's various mutterings of anger. Once Fionna had fallen silent, Cake looked up at her and asked, "You okay now, girl?"

"Huh?" the blonde inquired, coming out of her daze. "Oh, yeah. I'm alright. I was just still mad at Marshall for being such a dumb jerk. But, I guess that's all he's ever gonna be. Just as long as _you're_ alright. Honestly, I had no idea what he might've done to you."

Cake let out an amused cackle. "Girl, _please,_ ain't nothin' he could've done that I wouldn't've been able to handle!"

Fionna chuckled softly, slightly relieved by the feline's words. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Though, there is one thing that's been bothering me..."

"What's that, Fi?"

"I just...feel like we forgot about something. Something important. Like we left something here after we left for the party."

Cake simply shrugged. "Well whatever it was, it must've been not so important after all." They finally reached the treehouse and Cake reached for the doorknob, but hesitated when she heard a soft noise from inside. She figured it may have just been a sound effect from one of BMO's games, but she knew it was better to be safe than sorry.

Fionna noticed Cake's behavior and thought something might have been up, so she made sure to keep her guard up. Once Cake had opened the door enough, the cat slipped her head inside, using her stretchy powers. She gasped silently when she saw what it was she and Fionna had forgotten about.

Fionna got concerned. "What? Did you see anything?"

"You're not gonna believe this..." Cake opened the door the rest of the way so Fionna could see inside, and the human girl smacked her forehead.

"Glib-blobbit! We forgot about Gumball!" There, passed out on the sofa, was Prince Gumball, who had been visiting the night before, before the girls left for the party with Marshall Lee. He must have waited up for them, then ended up falling asleep. Fionna sighed and shook her head for being so forgetful, then silently approached the sleeping prince. She shook him awake gently. "Gumball?"

Gumball stirred, then opened his eyes, just barely. "Fionna?" he asked, following with a yawn. "What time is it?"

"Early," Fionna replied. She had no idea what time it was, but knew it was early enough for everyone else in the Candy Kingdom to still be asleep. "I'm soooo sorry we didn't come back last night. Stuff kinda...got crazy at that party."

"Oh no, it's alright," said Gumball, still in his sleepy haze. "It's aahhhhhhllright." He yawned once more as he fought to keep his eyes open.

Fionna smiled sheepishly at him, then said loud enough for Cake to hear, "Cake's gonna take you home now, 'kay? I'll see ya later."

The candy prince slowly rose to his feet and shuffled his way over to where Cake stood. "Uh, sure. Sure. Bye, Fionna." He waved at her sleepily, then flopped himself down onto Cake's back, who was now about the size of a large horse so she could easily transport him back to the Candy Kingdom.

As soon as they left, Fionna let out a loud yawn of her own, then made her way upstairs. Now she was starting to feel tired. She slipped off only her shoes and backpack, not bothering to change into her pajamas, then collapsed onto her bed, immersing herself in the various pelts that acted as her covers. The human girl lay there for a moment, letting her thoughts wear themselves out before she allowed herself to drift off to sleep. One particular moment lingered in her head: the song she and Marshall Lee sang at the party in the woods. At first, she remembered only what she felt at that time – the rush of being on that stage, hearing the applause of the audience, many of whom were her friends, how much fun it was singing her heart out, reciting lyrics she had made up completely on the spot. Then she recalled who it was she was with – Marshall Lee. Fionna wanted so badly to still be mad at him, but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to do it. She rolled over on her bed and simply stared off into space, looking at nothing in particular. Back in her memories, she remembered that it was actually _fun_ being with him. When Marshall wasn't acting like a cocky, arrogant jerk, he was actually...kind of nice. And he was fun to be around, at least to her. She seemed to be one of the only people in Aaa who actually understood and tolerated his twisted sense of humor, and also found it funny. Now she wasn't just focused on the night before. She thought of other fun times she's had with the Vampire King.

_"Psh. Some king,"_ Fionna often thought to herself. Whenever she thought of kings, she associated an air of royalty, grace, dignity, and more often than not, benevolence with them. Marshall Lee had none of these things. Except maybe grace, the way he floated just above the ground constantly, with not a care in the world. And even when he had two feet flat on the ground, he handled himself very well. His stride was smooth and unbroken, full of confidence. That confidence is often mistaken for arrogance, but only sometimes. He really was full of himself, but at least he admitted it. Very openly.

Confidence, talent, good looks – Marshall Lee had it all. But the adventuress couldn't help but wonder if he ever got lonely. He did live alone, and tended to separate himself from everyone else most of the time. Fionna wondered if he ever got tired of being alone. She was curious as to whether or not the act he put on was just that – an act, a facade, a mask. In the graveyard, as the sun was rising, when Marshall revealed that he had faked getting stabbed, she thought she remembered seeing a glimpse of his real self, however brief it may have been. _'Glob, Fionna, you're probably the realest person I've ever met.'_ That was what he had said. The "realest person"? What did that even mean to him? Did everyone else wear a mask of their own around the vampire king? Or had it been the first time someone had done something unexpected to him for once?

So many questions swam through Fionna's mind, but none of them found themselves answered. They merely lingered there, waiting to be figured out another day. Just as she was about to shut her eyes and fall asleep, one last question slipped through her thoughts.

_"How do I feel about him?"_

Fionna's blue eyes remained closed, but this time, she dug furiously for the answer to that question. It was something she had never even thought about before, but she felt that with all of the events that had taken place not that long ago, now would be a good time to find out. Well, she first and foremost saw him as a friend – a _best_ friend even. She may think he's a jerk at times, but she does still care about him. She remembered how worried she was when she thought he was going to die. She honestly thought she was going to lose Marshall Lee forever. _'Just admit it, Fionna. You're in love with me.'_

Her eyes snapped open and she sat up on her bed. Her heart started to pound in her ears as her hands curled into loose fists. "No. Anything but that. I _don't_ love Marshall Lee, I don't! I could never...oh glob." Fionna hunched over and buried her face in her hands, fighting back frustration and confusion. She knew that her feelings for Gumball were fading, but she never thought she would end up falling for someone like Marshall Lee in the process. It wasn't right, yet at the same time, it seemed to fit. Marshall didn't see her as a girl, but as a regular person. He didn't expect anything of her, nor did he want her to change. He didn't need constant saving or assistance, not by a long shot. She knew she could handle herself in a fight against him, even though she was almost sure he went easy on her, but most likely because his vampiric powers made him stronger and he didn't want to hurt her...which showed he wasn't all bad after all. He had to care about her in some way, otherwise he wouldn't act the way he did around her.

Fionna uncovered her face and stared down at her hands, and smiled softly. "The bad little boy...really isn't so bad. I wonder if he knows that? I wonder...does he feel the same?" Fionna stood up slowly and walked over to the window, looking at the sunrise. The sun was completely over the horizon now, but the sky still burned bright gold and orange. The human girl's smile spread a little. "He's probably home by now."

"Who's home?"

Fionna jumped two feet in the air and let out a startled cry. She hadn't heard Cake return home, and hadn't expected to find her standing in the doorway. "Cake! You flippin' scared me!"

Cake couldn't help but laugh at Fionna's reaction. "Sorry. So who were you talkin' about?"

"Uh, Gumball," Fionna replied dopily as she rubbed her arm. "I figured you had dropped him off already and...you did! Haha..."

Cake raised an eyebrow and put her paws on her hips. "Mmhm. Fionna, you know you're a terrible liar? I know you weren't thinkin' of Gumball. You haven't gushed over him in months, so I _know_ you're over him. So, who was it?"

Fionna blushed and looked at the floor. "I...I don't wanna talk about it. 'Cuz you're right, I wasn't thinking of Gumball. But..I'm not sure exactly how I feel about this guy yet, or how he feels about me."

Cake sighed and hugged Fionna before retreating to her bed, which was basically just an old dresser drawer. "It's okay, baby. If you don't wanna talk about it, I understand. But you better talk to this guy soon, otherwise I'll do it for you. And don't think I won't!"

Fionna chuckled softly as she crawled into her own bed. "Don't worry, Cake, I'll talk to him. But for now, let's get some sleep."

Cake nodded as she pulled her blanket over herself. "Sweet dreams, Fi."

"You, too." Fionna zipped up her sleeping bag, then drifted off to sleep. In her dreamland, she heard the echoing of a guitar strumming a familiar melody.

_Bad little boy_

_That's what you're acting like_

_ I really don't buy_

_ That you're that kind of guy_

_ And, if you are,_

_ Why do you want to hang out with me?_


End file.
